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WTO celebration protest in Seattle ends peacefully
A protest to mark the second anniversary of World Trade Organization riots got off to a tense start as police ordered demonstrators to keep the streets clear and made more than a dozen arrests.
A protest to mark the second anniversary of World Trade Organization riots got off to a tense start as police ordered demonstrators to keep the streets clear and made more than a dozen arrests.
But it ended peacefully, as demonstrators shared a downtown plaza with police horses and merry-go-round steeds before moving on to other events. "This thing's gone very, very well," police spokesman Duane Fish said. "The demonstrators stuck to what they said they were going to do. The staff is just pleased, period." Thirteen people were arrested by Friday night, Fish said. Several were arrested for investigation of pedestrian interference, another for possessing a can of pepper spray. One was hauled in after he refused to get off the holiday carousel set up at Westlake Center.
About 200 people gathered Friday afternoon at Seattle Central Community College in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood, then marched to Westlake Center downtown. Just about as many officers marched or rode bicycles alongside of them. Police repeatedly warned people to stay on the sidewalk or be arrested. The order angered several protesters, who had expected to be allowed to march in the street although they had not obtained a parade permit.
"We say our parade permit is the First Amendment," said organizer Dustin Washington. Organizers had expected as many as 1,000 people to participate in Friday's events to mark the second anniversary of protests that closed much of the downtown area and helped prevent WTO delegates from starting a new round of trade talks.
Much of the crowd was young. As at last year's event, they chanted and carried signs. One man carried a US flag whose stars were replaced by corporate symbols, including McDonald's golden arches and the Nike "swoosh."
They said their message was as important now - with the World Trade Center attacks and the war in Afghanistan - as ever. "We're coming out to show there are a lot of people here still interested in the issues, and we're not going to let it drop," said 19-year-old Evergreen State College student Lauren Mathisen.
Backers hoped to shift some of the focus of the second "N30" protest to civil liberties and the war on terrorism. They reserved particular vehemence for the new anti-terrorism laws. "What we see in the anti-terrorism bill - searches without warrants, taps of lawyer-client conversations -there's all kinds of really insane stuff the American public never would have stood for a few months ago," said protest organizer Vanessa Lee.
Protesters largely focused on what they see as the dangers of globalization: the increasing power of multinational corporations, the marginalization of developing countries and the average worker, and abuse of the environment. A federal judge ruled late Thursday that demonstrators could march to Westlake Center for their rally but agreed that police could disperse the crowd if more than 200 participated or if unlawful behavior occurred.
In 1999, 50,000 protesters swarmed the downtown area. A relatively small number of sledgehammer-wielding, black-clad anarchists smashed storefronts and overwhelmed police responded with tear gas and mass arrests. Damage totaled about $2.5 million. Last year, about 150 people were arrested as police tried to disperse them. "It's Seattle's newest holiday tradition," said local historian Walt Crowley, who roamed the crowd snapping pictures Friday.
"These are bad times for this kind of protest. The community is tense, and a demonstration like this cuts a hard line. But hopefully what you do is get people to study more and think more."
Bureau Report
But it ended peacefully, as demonstrators shared a downtown plaza with police horses and merry-go-round steeds before moving on to other events. "This thing's gone very, very well," police spokesman Duane Fish said. "The demonstrators stuck to what they said they were going to do. The staff is just pleased, period." Thirteen people were arrested by Friday night, Fish said. Several were arrested for investigation of pedestrian interference, another for possessing a can of pepper spray. One was hauled in after he refused to get off the holiday carousel set up at Westlake Center.
About 200 people gathered Friday afternoon at Seattle Central Community College in the city's Capitol Hill neighborhood, then marched to Westlake Center downtown. Just about as many officers marched or rode bicycles alongside of them. Police repeatedly warned people to stay on the sidewalk or be arrested. The order angered several protesters, who had expected to be allowed to march in the street although they had not obtained a parade permit.
"We say our parade permit is the First Amendment," said organizer Dustin Washington. Organizers had expected as many as 1,000 people to participate in Friday's events to mark the second anniversary of protests that closed much of the downtown area and helped prevent WTO delegates from starting a new round of trade talks.
Much of the crowd was young. As at last year's event, they chanted and carried signs. One man carried a US flag whose stars were replaced by corporate symbols, including McDonald's golden arches and the Nike "swoosh."
They said their message was as important now - with the World Trade Center attacks and the war in Afghanistan - as ever. "We're coming out to show there are a lot of people here still interested in the issues, and we're not going to let it drop," said 19-year-old Evergreen State College student Lauren Mathisen.
Backers hoped to shift some of the focus of the second "N30" protest to civil liberties and the war on terrorism. They reserved particular vehemence for the new anti-terrorism laws. "What we see in the anti-terrorism bill - searches without warrants, taps of lawyer-client conversations -there's all kinds of really insane stuff the American public never would have stood for a few months ago," said protest organizer Vanessa Lee.
Protesters largely focused on what they see as the dangers of globalization: the increasing power of multinational corporations, the marginalization of developing countries and the average worker, and abuse of the environment. A federal judge ruled late Thursday that demonstrators could march to Westlake Center for their rally but agreed that police could disperse the crowd if more than 200 participated or if unlawful behavior occurred.
In 1999, 50,000 protesters swarmed the downtown area. A relatively small number of sledgehammer-wielding, black-clad anarchists smashed storefronts and overwhelmed police responded with tear gas and mass arrests. Damage totaled about $2.5 million. Last year, about 150 people were arrested as police tried to disperse them. "It's Seattle's newest holiday tradition," said local historian Walt Crowley, who roamed the crowd snapping pictures Friday.
"These are bad times for this kind of protest. The community is tense, and a demonstration like this cuts a hard line. But hopefully what you do is get people to study more and think more."
Bureau Report